WESTLECOT indoor players or combinations have qualified for the last 16 and final stages at the national championships in Nottingham at the end of this month or in the age group competitions at the start of April.

The Smith sisters, Lucy and Katy, had already won the Area 14 ladies pairs title and qualified for Nottingham, while Katy was also successful in the ladies’ area final in the two-bowl singles.

This week has seen the club’s number grow to four, with a 22-18 victory in the area final at Oxford City & County for the men’s fours team of Mel Biggs, Chris Cheesley, Ian Jefferies and Neil Smith over a Whiteknights (Reading) quartet of Duncan Christie, Alan Symondson, Lloyd Sabatini and Andy Knapper 22-18.

In a fluctuating match, the Westlecot quartet were 6-0 down early on but had levelled at 6-6 after five ends and were tied 9-9 at nine.

They slipped to 12-9 down at 15 but a count of four saw them lead 13-12. Parity was restored once more as they were tied 18-18 at 18 ends, however, Smith’s quartet held on over the last three ends to claim a 22-18 win and a spot in Nottingham.

Three days later at Oxford C&C, Westlecot’s representation in Nottingham was increased to four as the foursome of Dave Snell, Terry Walton, Barry Sictorness and Mel Biggs edged home 14-13 in the area final of the O60s fours against a West Berks (Newbury) rink.

This foursome showing one change, Sictorness for Denis Holborow who has moved away, reached the last 16 at Nottingham last season.

Westlecot did suffer a couple of losses last week in area finals.

Chris Cheesley and Neil Smith lost to Whiteknights in the men’s pairs final 20-10 at Oxford C&C, while at the same venue, Phil Gregory went down 21-14 to Andy Knapper (Whiteknights, Reading) in the area men’s two-bowl singles final.

Over the next week, hoping to join the four Westlecot qualifiers for Nottingham are six more combinations from the Old Town Club in the ladies’ triples, ladies’ O60s singles and O50s triples, plus family pairs as well as men’s O60s pairs and O50s triples.